Charge calculation apparatus, charge calculation system, and charge calculation method

ABSTRACT

A charge calculation apparatus, system and method allow for a controller to administer an electric power charging operation to one or more client devices, such as an electric vehicle. The vehicle provides its ID to the controller, which in turn calculates a tax according to the vehicle making the request, and other factors such as taxing jurisdiction, amount of electricity used, timing, etc. By controlling the charging operation in this way, the taxing authorities are able to collect tax revenue for use in maintaining roads from the users of those roads by monitoring which vehicles are using electricity to operate the vehicles on the roads. By keeping track of the vehicle&#39;s movement within different tax jurisdictions, the tax may be apportioned amongst the different taxing authorities.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/971,003, filed Dec. 17, 2010, and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-293022,filed Dec. 24, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherewith by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a charge calculation apparatus, acharge calculation system, and a charge calculation method.

Description of the Related Art

Many electronic devices such as personal computers and a game machinesuse an AC adaptor, which inputs an alternating-current (AC) power from acommercial power supply and outputs electric power matching the device,for the purpose of the operation of the device and the charge of thebattery. Although the electronic device is usually operated by a directcurrent (DC), the voltage and current requirements are different in eachdevice. Thus, the AC adaptor that outputs electric power matchingparticular devices is also different for each device. Accordingly, evenif AC adaptors have similar shapes, they are not necessarily compatiblewith each other, and so there is an issue that the number of AC adaptorsincreases with increasing numbers of devices.

In order to solve the above issue, there has been proposed a power bussystem in which a power supply block supplying electric power to devicessuch as a battery and an AC adaptor and a power consumption blockreceiving electric power from the power supply block are connected to acommon DC bus line (for example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2). In thispower bus system, a DC current flows through a bus line. Further, in thepower bus system, each block itself is described as an object, and theobjects of the respective blocks mutually transmit and receiveinformation (state data) through a bus line. The object of each blockgenerates the information (state data) based on a request from theobject of another block and transmits the information as reply data. Theobject of the block having received the reply data can control electricpower supply and consumption based on the contents of the received replydata.

The above power bus system is operated basically independently from anexisting grid. Even if there is no existing grid, the power bus systemcan generate electric power and control power transmission anddistribution. When the power bus system is installed at every home atmost, the concepts of electric power charge and charging for the amountof used electric power are not required. Even when the existing grid isconnected as an input of electric power of the power bus system, anexisting watt-hour meter, a smart meter, and the like are provided atthe entrance of each home and office. Therefore, in the power bussystem, it is unnecessary to consider charging.

However, when the power bus systems installed at each home are connectedto each other to be networked, even if the power bus system is operatedindependently from the existing grid, it is easily considered that theconcept of charging for electric power is required. However, thecharging system is sort of local, and the charging information can beregarded as a part of information related to power transmission anddistribution, such as power specification information (in JapanesePatent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-123051, for example).

Meanwhile, in the future, it is considered that an electric vehicle willbe widely used out of consideration for the environment. However, withthe spread of electric vehicles, the present inventors recognized thattaxing electric power consumed in electric vehicles, as with theexisting gasoline tax, may become a reality.

Namely, in current vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, fuelsuch as gasoline is directly taxed, and the tax is used as fundingsources for transportation infrastructure maintenance and improvements.In this same vein, the taxing of electricity for electrical vehicle usemay be employed to fund future road-related costs. Thus, it might becomea reality to impose a separate tax on electric power for chargingelectric vehicles separate from a tax imposed on other electric powerconsumption. This is realized by using the currently proposed smartgrid. When an ID of an object which uses electric power is determined torepresent an electric vehicle, the electricity charge of the usedelectric power may be a charge including a tax and other electric powercharge (corresponding to the vehicle fuel).

SUMMARY

However, when electric power generated by a local power generationsource, such as a personal wind turbine or solar panel, is used forfueling an electric vehicle, it is difficult to impose a tax equivalentto the fuel tax, since the source of the electricity may have beenprivately produced. Namely, the power source for electric vehicles isnot necessarily limited to the power source from the existing grid. Thepower supply may be a local organic source, that does not interact withthe existing power grid.

For example, as proposed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2008-123051 and the like, when the electric power generated in the powerbus system based on natural electric power is used for the electricpower supply of the electric vehicle, electric power free of tax is usedin the electric vehicle. Even if the power bus system or the likeutilizing natural energy is allowed to have the function (that is,tax-free charging of the electric vehicle) as an incentive, when theelectric vehicle is widely used, fairness of tax burdens between theelectric vehicle and other vehicles powered by an internal combustionengine will become an issue.

Namely, in any system, it is assumed that the power supply system isrequired to have a structure of determining whether a charged object isan object operated by electricity such as an electric vehicle and anelectric motorcycle and taxing the object.

In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a novel andimproved charge calculation apparatus, charge calculation system, andcharge calculation method which can calculate a charge corresponding toan amount of charge in accordance with the charged object.

In one embodiment an electric charging controller includes an interfaceand a processor. The interface is configured to receive a request forcharging from an external device. The processor is configured tocalculate an amount of tax to be applied for an amount of electricityused in a charging the external device.

In another embodiment a power server is provided that includes anexternal interface, a bus interface, and an processor. The externalinterface is configured to receive electric power from an externalsource. The bus interface connects to a power bus and in response to arequest, delivers power to a client device via the power bus. Theprocessor detects an ID of the client and deliver the power to theclient device in a format compatible with the client device.

In another embodiment, a method is provided for determining a tax on acharging of an electric device. The method includes receiving data at acontroller requesting an electric charge for an external device. Also aprocessor is used to calculate an amount of tax for an amount ofelectricity used to charge the external device.

The present invention as described above can provide a novel andimproved charge calculation apparatus, charge calculation system, andcharge calculation method which can calculate a charge corresponding toan amount of charge in accordance with the charged object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a constitution of a chargecalculation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an operation of the charge calculationsystem according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an electricity tax determinationprocessing in a charge calculation system 1 according to the embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a constitutional example of acontroller 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

Descriptions are performed in the following order:

<1. Embodiment of the present invention>

[1-1. Constitution of charge calculation system]

[1-2. Operation of charge calculation system]

[1-3. Constitution of controller]

<2. Conclusion>

1. Embodiment of the Present Invention

[1-1. Constitution of Charge Calculation System]

First, a constitution of a charge calculation system according to anembodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is anexplanatory view showing the constitution of the charge calculationsystem according to the embodiment of the present invention.Hereinafter, the constitution of the charge calculation system accordingto the embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG.1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a charge calculation system 1 according to anembodiment of the present invention is configured to include a smartmeter 10, a main breaker 20, sub breakers 30 and 31, a communicationapparatus 40, a controller 50, a modem 60, a power server 70, a client80, an electric vehicle 90, and a taxation server 100. The modem 60, thepower server 70, the client 80, and the electric vehicle 90 shown inFIG. 1 constitute a power bus system 2.

The smart meter 10 converts the amount of electric power supplied froman existing grid and consumed at home and the amount of electric powergenerated by the power server 70 into data in real time. The smart meter10 has an external communication function and provides the informationof the data of the electric power amount to other servers and electriccompanies by wired or wireless communication. The main breaker 20 andthe sub breakers 30 and 31 control the supply of electric power from theexisting grid to a domestic existing distribution system. In anon-limiting example, one of the sub breakers 30 and 31 control a mainconnection to a public server utility (e.g., the public electric powercompany) and the other provides access to one or more domesticallyproduced power sources, such as from a wind turbine, solar panel(s) withor without an electrical charged storage device, hydro-based electricpower source, or even a fossil fuel based power source (generator), etc.Thus, the main breaker 20 controls electrical connection to with publicor private electrical power sources.

The communication apparatus 40 is connected to the externalcommunication function of the smart meter 10. The smart meter 10 canprovide the information of the data of the electric power amount toother servers and electric companies through the communication apparatus40. The communication apparatus 40 and the smart meter 10 may beconnected to each other using a wired or wireless LAN, USB, RS-232C,other existing interface, or an exclusive interface for smart meters.

The controller 50 performs a communication control, via a communicationsinterface, between the smart meter 10 and the communication apparatus 40and a communication control of the power bus system 2. The controller 50includes a microprocessor for performing those controls, for example,and those communication controls are performed by the microprocessor.The modem 60 is a modem corresponding to the power bus system 2. Themodem 60 is used for transmitting electric power and frequency-dividedinformation as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No. 2008-123051. The modem may be viewed as a digitalcommunication interface that allows for the free exchange of dataassociated with charging of the electric vehicle 90 or other devices.

The power server 70 supplies electric power to devices connected to thepower bus system 2 and has a function of supplying DC power generated bya solar battery, for example, to the client 80 or the electric vehicle90. Likewise, the power server 70 obtains access to power from thepublic and private electric power sources that connect to the mainbreaker 20. The client 80 receives the electric power supplied from thepower server 70 to be operated. In this example, in terms of electricpower, the power bus system 2 can transmit and receive electric powerindependently from the existing grid; however, on the other hand, byvirtue of the interposition of the controller 50, the power bus system 2can communicate information with the smart grid constructed on theexisting grid.

The electric vehicle 90 is a vehicle which can travel with electricpower charged as a power source in a storage battery and is configuredsuch that it can be charged by electric power supplied from the powerserver 70 and electric power supplied on the existing grid. The electricvehicle 90 (or even the client 80) contain tamper proof electronicmemories that include a unique ID of the particular electric vehicle, aswell as other associated data. This associated data may include avariety of information useful in calculating taxes for electrical energyused in powering the vehicle. For example, the associated data may ininclude (1) local and state registration information, indicating wherethe vehicle is registered, (2) information regarding vehicle make/modeland/or related vehicle and battery characteristic information that allowfor the provisioning of tax credits associated with using fuel-efficientvehicles and/or efficient electrical storage devices, (3) credits forprevious replenishment charges using green power sources such as privaterenewable power sources, (4) information regarding how the vehicle isdriven such as speed, and acceleration, (5) charging times, such as slowcharge in off-peak hours vs. quick charging during peak hours, and (6)types of routes taken to allow for apportionment between states andlocalities/municipalities (types of taxing jurisdictions) of taxpayments based on where the vehicle was driven. The apportionment may bea straight averaging, or may be a division of tax fees according to thetaxes levied by the different taxing jurisdictions. The apportionmentmay relate to a kind of “commuter tax” for taxing at a higher rate thosevehicles that traverse state or local boundaries during a daily commute.Also, the tracking of routes would allow for the use ofincentives/penalties by local, state or federal governments to encouragetravel on some roads, but not others). This tracking data may be storedin the tamperproof memory (or other memory) as provided from a GPSreceiver, or navigation system on the electric vehicle.

When the electric vehicle 90 is charged, the taxation server 100calculates all relevant taxes corresponding to the amount of electricpower required for charging of the electric vehicle 90 and taxes theuser of the electric vehicle 90. Although a communication method and aprotocol on the smart grid are not officially determined at present, atleast the taxation server 100 as taxation means to electric power for anelectric vehicle can communicate through the communication apparatus 40.

In the present embodiment, the information communicated between thetaxation server 100 and the communication apparatus 40 includes thefollowing contents, for example.

(1) The local, state and federal tax rates on electric power for anelectric vehicle, and specifically, $/Wh.

(2) Tax payment means such as a bill or a credit card. When tax is paidwith bill, the means includes the name and address on the bill. As anoptional extra, the information communicated between the taxation server100 and the communication apparatus 40 may include the followingcontents.(3) The tax rate applied when a power source is natural electric power.The tax rate is preferably lower than the tax rate applied when electricpower other than natural electric power is used as a power source.(4) The tax rate depending on a power used time zone. When the powerserver 70 is used as a power source, charging is performed from otherthan a smart grid, and therefore, it is not considered to be directlyrelated to power leveling of the smart grid; however, when the powerserver 70 is used as the power source, the burden on the existing gridis reduced as a result, and thus incentives may exist.(5) The tax rate on a type of a vehicle. In the current fuel tax,although the tax rate is determined for each type of fuel, the tax ratereflecting the weight of a vehicle and the like is more appropriatelyused in a road tax and the like, and therefore, the tax rate isconsidered to be suitable.(6) Other associated information, such as the items discussed aboveregarding registration information, driving history, charging times,origin of power, credits for using domestically generated and/or powerfrom renewable power sources.

Meanwhile, when the electric vehicle 90 is charged by the independentpower bus system 2, the electricity charge itself and the consumptiontax on the electricity charge are free. Namely, when the electricvehicle 90 is charged by the power bus system 2, only particular usingmethod and amount used are taxed, and thus the smart meter 10 is acommunication mechanism for collecting taxes on the particular usingmethod and amount used and taxes generated on its use. Thus, thecontroller 50 performs a basic communication protocol of the smart gridand tax-related processing that is the application data. Of course, ifthe use is not the charging of the electric vehicle 90, the taxationprocessing may not be performed with respect to the use.

In order to perform the above functions, the controller 50 has thefollowing functions.

(1) ID storage for storing an ID for use in specifying the electricvehicle 90 as a client. This ID storage may be in the form of atamperproof memory that will help to avoid improper substitution offalse data intended to spoof the tax calculations. If necessary, the IDmay be obtained by downloading from an external server (not shown)through the smart meter 10. Of course, one ID may not be provided forone electric bus system, and there are IDs corresponding to the numberof the electric vehicles 90 connected as clients. The number of theelectric vehicles 90 dynamically changes.(2) Mechanism for specifying unknown ID returned from the client byinquiring of an external server (not shown) about the ID through thesmart meter 10.(3) The current tax rate storage device. If necessary, this means may beupdated from an external server (not shown) through the smart meter 10.(4) Storage device for the tax payment. For example, when tax is paidwith bill, the controller stores the name and address on the bill. Whenthe tax is paid with a credit card, the controller stores the number ofthe credit card.

The above storage device is preferably nonvolatile. In order todetermine the validity, the storage device may have redundancy, and, forexample, the device stores a plurality of the same information.Similarly, secure memory is used such that CRC or other checking methodsare used to maintain the accuracy of the data, without tampering.Meanwhile, since existing techniques can correspond to the reliability,validity, and the like of the response from the external server, thedetailed description will be omitted in the present embodiment.

When the client 80 is an electric vehicle, the protocol and modemcorresponding to the electric vehicle are included in the client 80. Inthe actual electric vehicle, the protocol corresponding to the chargingmethod and the kind of voltage and battery is mounted, and a chargeconnector is provided with a power line and a communication line.However, the electric vehicle 90 includes an ID showing that the vehicleis an electric vehicle, an ID specifying the type of the vehicle, and aunique ID uniquely specifying the electric vehicle. Those IDs aredetected by the controller 50.

Hereinabove, the constitution of the charge calculation system accordingto an embodiment of the present invention has been described usingFIG. 1. Next, the operation of the charge calculation system accordingto an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will bedescribed.

[1-2. Operation of Charge Calculation System]

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the charge calculationsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter,the operation of the charge calculation system according to theembodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 2.

When the technique proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2008-123051 and the like is used, if the electric vehicle 90 which is akind of client is connected to the power bus system 2, the information(and associated information) of the connected electric vehicle 90 isregistered on a power server (in this example, the power server 70)selected as a synchronous server, and the power server 70 supplieselectric power to the electric vehicle 90 on request. The electricvehicle 90 determines the amount of electric power to be supplied to theelectric vehicle 90 and the power supply time by negotiating with thepower server 70 (step S101). The electric vehicle 90 has the ability tocalculate the amount of electric power actually supplied to the electricvehicle 90. All the above can be realized by the power bus systemproposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-123051, theentire contents of which being incorporated herein by references, andthe like.

The power server 70 detects the ID of the electric vehicle 90 connectedto the power bus system 2 (step S102). The ID may be unique all over theworld (world unique) or may be unique only within a certain range (localunique). This depends on the design of the power bus system 2. However,when the electric vehicle 90 is connected to the power bus system 2, itis designated whether the ID is specified as a world unique ID or an IDthat is world-unique as an argument, and it is specified that the clientconnected to the power bus system 2 is an electric vehicle.Specification of the type of an electric vehicle and specification of avehicle may be performed as well, especially when taxincentives/penalties apply depending on vehicle type.

When the ID of the electric vehicle 90 is detected by the power server70 in step S102, the power server 70 transmits the detected ID to thecontroller 50 (step S103). The controller 50 specifies the actual IDfrom the ID transmitted from the power server 70. When the IDtransmitted from the power server 70 is not recorded on the controller50, the ID is referred to an external server (not shown) through thesmart meter 10. When the reference is completed, the ID is stored in theID storage means, and, at the same time, the power bus system 2 (thatis, a pair of the power server 70 and the electric vehicle 90) isallowed to charge the electric vehicle 90 (step S104).

When the controller 50 allows the power server 70 to charge the electricvehicle 90, the power server 70 supplies electric power to the electricvehicle 90 (step S105). The power distribution between the power server70 and the electric vehicle 90 can be performed using the function ofthe power bus system proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-OpenNo. 2008-123051 and the like, in which information and electric powerare frequency-divided; however, in the present invention, the powerdistribution is not limited to such a system, and separate conductorsmay be used, for example.

When the charging of the electric vehicle 90 is terminated, the powerserver 70 calculates the amount of electric power actually supplied tothe electric vehicle 90 until the termination of the charging and sendsthe calculated amount to the controller 50 (step S106). The terminationof the charging of the electric vehicle 90 includes not only the statethat the battery of the electric vehicle 90 is fully charged but also acase in which the charging is artificially terminated. The power server70 may send both the calculated electric power amount and information ofcharging start time and charging termination time to the controller 50.Time of day information may also be conveyed, although the controller 50can determine the time of day based on a received indication that thecharging has terminated. The time of day information may be relevant toincentives/penalties for tax calculations based on time of day charging.The power server 70 also delivers to the controller 50 the chargingconditions (e.g., voltage, amperage, kW) so the controller can calculatean appropriate tax based on the conditions.

The controller 50 having received the information of the electric poweramount from the power server 70 calculates a tax on the charging of theelectric vehicle 90 (step S107). The amount of the tax calculated by thecontroller 50 is sent to the taxation server 100 through the smart meter10, and the tax is declared or paid. The declaration and payment of taxmay be performed at each charging of the electric vehicle 90 or may beperformed in a predetermined period unit (for example, on a monthlybasis). The taxation timing is determined by law rather than by thecharge calculation system 1.

Hereinabove, the operation of the charge calculation system 1 accordingto an embodiment of the present invention has been described using FIG.2.

In the above description, there is an unspoken understanding that anaverage travelling area of the electric vehicle 90 and a taxation areato the electric vehicle 90 are the same.

However, the electricity tax for electric vehicles is not always fixedin a region or a country. Near the border between countries withdifferent tax rates or near a boundary between provinces with differenttax rates, there may occur such a case that an electric vehicle ischarged in a region with low electricity tax, and the electric vehicletravels mainly in a region with high electricity tax. If this case isallowed, tax is paid only in the region with low electricity tax, andtax is not paid in the region with high electricity tax. However, thesystem allows for apportionment of state and local based taxation.State, local, and national tax rates are held in the taxation server100, although these rates may also be held in the controller 50 exampleor downloaded on the fly from a remote source.

In order to avoid the above situation, the electric vehicle ispreferably provided with travelling area recording mechanism(tachograph) that is based on GPS and the like and records a travellingarea, or actual travel route. By virtue of the travelling area recordingmechanism, logs of an area where the electric vehicle actually travelsand the travel distance are obtained, and the contents are recorded inthe travelling area recording mechanism. Since the travelling area atthe initial charging point is not otherwise specified, it is preferablethat the electricity tax in the charging area be imposed.

In fact, when an electric vehicle mounted with the travelling arearecording mechanism travels, a taxable travelling route is recorded inthe travelling area recording mechanism as provided by a data feed fromGPS or the like, and the area where the electric vehicle has actuallytravelled is determined in the next charging. Thus, the electricity taxon the next charging is determined based on the information of thetravelling area recorded in the travelling area recording mechanism. Atthis time, in the processing for determining the electricity tax, notonly simply based on the previous recording, but also weighting storageprocessing may be used. As for the taxation processing corresponding tothe travelling area, it is considered to be determined by law ratherthan by the charge calculation system 1.

As described above, the area where an electricity tax is to be imposedcan be determined, so that the payment recipient of the electricity taxcan be determined. The electricity tax may be paid not only to acountry, but also to prefectures (states) and municipalities where anelectric vehicle has actually travelled.

Hereinafter, an example of an algorithm determining the electricity taxis shown. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an electricity taxdetermination processing in the charge calculation system 1 according toan embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the electricity taxdetermination processing in the charge calculation system 1 according toan embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 3.

First, the information of the battery of the electric vehicle 90 and theinformation of the electric vehicle 90 are bound at the point ofmanufacturing the electric vehicle 90 or exchanging the battery of theelectric vehicle 90 (step S111). When the information of the battery andthe information of the vehicle are bound, as the information to bebound, the ID of the battery and the type and unique ID of the electricvehicle are bound, whereby the subsequent charging of the battery isregarded as charging of the vehicle. This ID (vehicle and battery) isoptionally stored in tamperproof memory.

Next, when the power server 70 charges the electric vehicle 90, thecontroller 50 determines whether the electric vehicle 90 is charged forthe first time (step S112). When the electric vehicle 90 is charged forthe first time, it is difficult to specify the travelling area of theelectric vehicle 90 from the travel record. Therefore, the controller 50confirms area information (a charging area) at a position where there isa battery charger for the electric vehicle 90 (step S113), and thecontroller 50 obtains the tax rate in the charging area confirmed instep S113 and confirms the electricity tax at the tax rate (step S114).

Meanwhile, when the electric vehicle 90 is charged for the second andsubsequent time, the controller 50 reads the travel records of theelectric vehicle 90 (step S115). The controller 50 assumes a newcharging area where the electric vehicle 90 will travel after charging,using the read travel record and calculates the electricity tax (stepS116). In the calculation in the new charging area, when the electricvehicle has traveled countries and regions with different tax rates, thecontroller 50 may calculate, assuming the charging area corresponding tothe ratio of the travel distances of the countries and regions. Then,the controller 50 calculates a tax to be paid based on the tax rate ofeach location and, if necessary, pays the tax to the country or theregion.

When the controller 50 confirms the electricity tax at the initialcharging in step S114, or when the controller 50 calculates theelectricity tax assuming the new charging area in step S116, thecontroller 50 obtains the information of the amount of electric power,required for charging of the electric vehicle 90, from the power server70 (step S117) and calculates the tax corresponding to the amount ofelectric power required for charging of the electric vehicle 90 todeclare or pay the tax (step S118).

The total amount of tax may be calculated by the following formula, forexample:total amount of tax=travel ratio in A area×tax rate of A area×electricpower amount+travel ratio in B area×tax rate of B area×electric poweramount+ . . . .

If a tax is paid for each area, naturally, the amount of tax calculatedfor each area may be paid to the corresponding area.

The tax amount at charging is based on the previous travel, andtherefore, instead of simply using the travel data immediately beforecharging, each past taxation data is weighted retroactive to the pastcharging, and the amount of tax at charging may be determined. Forexample, when the total amount of tax at the present charging isdetermined from the last total amount of tax and the total amount of taxbefore the last, the present total amount of tax may be calculated bythe following formula:the present total amount of tax=0.6×the last total amount of tax+0.4×thetotal amount of tax before the last(this is the same as an algorithm of a general digital low pass filter).

Of course, it is difficult to determine a future travelling area atcharging of the electric vehicle, and therefore, regardless of theformula, it is difficult to tax the electric vehicle completely fairlyin comparison with the vehicle in the related art powered by an internalcombustion engine. However, in the future, it is considered thatfairness is secured by a widespread use of electric vehicles. Whetherthe charging of the electric vehicle is fairly taxed is appropriatelyscrutinized, and the above formula may be dynamically changed.

As described above, the electricity tax determination processing in thecharge calculation system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention has been described using FIG. 3. In the electricity taxdetermination processing shown in FIG. 3, when a tax is calculated anddeclared, a taxpayer ID for use in uniquely specifying a taxpayer ispreferably used. Namely, the taxpayer is specified, whereby a companyproviding a charging station where an electric vehicle is charged maybear a tax as a part of advertising campaigns, for example. Namely, thetaxpayer is suitably set in the electricity tax determination processingshown in FIG. 3, whereby, as advertising campaigns, it is possible toprevent from taxing on a user when an electric vehicle of the user ischarged (of course, it is preferable that the electricity charge itselfbe charged to the user).

As described above, the electricity tax can be determined according tothe travelling area of the electric vehicle, so that when the electricvehicle travels a particular road such as a bridge and a road, thetravel charge can be collected according to the travel. Namely, even ifthere is no tollbooth as in an expressway, facilities requiring a largeconstruction cost can charge extra. By virtue of the use of the chargecalculation system 1, payment of a charge to a country or a region orpayment to both a country and a region at a predetermined rate can berealized without increasing office expenses or only by an initialinstallation cost and a slight maintenance cost of a server and thelike.

The above can be processed only by reading such a parameter as thecharging area as a suitable facility such as a bridge and a road. Thus,in this case, a plurality of arguments are preferably provided for sucha parameter as the charging area. The start and ending of charging forspecified road facilities can be dynamically determined by access to adedicated server (for example, the taxation server 100).

As described above, when the electricity tax is determined by the log ofthe travelling area, vehicles having no travelling area recording meansor having the travelling area recording mechanism and no log of thetravelling area may be advantageous in taxation. Thus, as for thevehicle having no log of the travelling area, if the vehicle is anelectric vehicle, the electricity tax will be increased, and if thevehicle is an internal combustion engine vehicle, the gasoline tax willbe increased. However, this is determined by law rather than by thesystem.

The charging for travelling specified roads can be applied as it is toan expressway. In this case, not tax but the toll of the expressway willbe collected. Technically, an expressway ID specifying an expressway asa mere travelling area and a section ID for use in specifying the travelsection of the expressway are just logged in the charge calculationsystem 1, so that the toll of the expressway can be calculated. Thus, itcan contribute to an unmanned operation of an expressway (or the savingof manpower for vehicles having no function of obtaining a log), and, inaddition, a gate of a tollbooth is finally removed to relieveunnecessary stress of vehicle's drivers and prevent accidents.

[1-3. Constitution of Controller]

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a constitutional example of thecontroller 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention.Hereinafter, the constitutional example of the controller 50 accordingto the embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG.4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 50 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is configured to include an ID storage part 51, an IDinquiry part 52, a tax rate storage part 53, a tax calculation part 54,a payment method storage part 55, and an ID determination part 56.

The ID storage part 51 corresponds to the ID storage part that is one ofthe functions of the controller 50 and stores an ID for use inspecifying the electric vehicle 90 as a client. The ID stored in the IDstorage part 51 is obtained by downloading from an external server (notshown) through the smart meter 10, for example. The electric vehicle 90having the ID stored in the ID storage part 51 is allowed to be chargedby the power server 70.

In the ID inquiry part 52, when the electric power supply is performedbetween the power server 70 and the electric vehicle 90, if the powerserver 70 returns an ID of the unknown electric vehicle 90, the IDinquiry part 52 inquires of an external server (not shown) about theunknown ID through the smart meter 10, internet, and other networks. TheID inquiry part 52 inquires ID, and the information of the ID isdownloaded from the external server, whereby the inquiry is completed.When the inquiry is completed, the ID inquiry part 52 stores the ID inthe ID storage part 51. According to this constitution, the controller50 can allow the power supply between the power server 70 and theelectric vehicle 90.

The tax rate storage part 53 stores the tax rate of the tax imposed whenthe electric vehicle 90 is charged. The tax rate stored in the tax ratestorage part 53 is preferably lower than the tax rate imposed whenelectric power other than natural electric power is used as a powersource. If necessary, the tax rate may be updated from an externalserver (not shown) through the smart meter 10, internet, and othernetworks.

The tax calculation part 54 calculates the tax imposed when the electricvehicle 90 is charged based on the tax rate stored in the tax ratestorage part 53. The payment method storage part 55 stores a method forpaying the tax calculated by the tax calculation part 54. For examplewhen tax is paid with bill, the payment method storage part 55 storesthe name and address on the bill, and when the tax is paid with a creditcard, the payment method storage part 55 stores the credit card number.

The ID determination part 56 determines whether the ID sent from thepower server 70 is stored in the ID storage part 51. When the ID sentfrom the power server 70 is not stored in the ID storage part 51, the IDdetermination part 56 informs the inquiry about the ID to the ID inquirypart 52. When the ID sent from the power server 70 is stored in the IDstorage part 51, the ID determination part 56 allows the power server 70to charge the electric vehicle 90.

In FIG. 4, although the controller 50 includes the tax calculation part54, the present invention is not limited to this example. When a tax isimposed based on the travelling area of the electric vehicle 90, thecontroller 50 obtains the information of the travelling area from theelectric vehicle 90 to transmit the obtained information of thetravelling area to the taxation server 100 through the communicationapparatus 40, and the tax may be calculated in the taxation server 100.When a tax is calculated in the taxation server 100, the controller 50may include means of transmitting the amount of electric power, requiredfor the power server 70 to charge the electric vehicle 90, from thecontroller 50 to the taxation server 100.

2. Conclusion

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention,a tax is calculated according to the amount of electric power requiredfor charging of the electric vehicle and the area where the electricvehicle has travelled, and the tax can be imposed on the user of theelectric vehicle. When the taxation processing is applied to thecharging of the electric vehicle, the fairness of tax burdens betweenthe electric vehicle and vehicles powered by an internal combustionengine can be secured to some extent, and, at the same time, countriesand local governments can use the tax generated in the charging of theelectric vehicle for road construction.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, the charging of theelectric vehicle has been exemplified; however, in the presentinvention, the object to be charged is not limited to the electricvehicle, and an electric motorcycle or a train may be charged as long asit is a moving vehicle which can travel by a rechargeable battery. Theabove series of processing may be executed by hardware or software. Whenthe processing is executed by software, a recording medium having storedtherein a program may be built in the controller 50 and the like, forexample. The program may be read by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), aDSP (Digital Signal Processor), or other controller built in thecontroller 50 and the like to be sequentially executed.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, in the above embodiment, the controller 50 obtains the IDof the electric vehicle 90, and when the ID is registered on thecontroller 50, the electric vehicle 90 is allowed to be charged by thepower server 70; however, the present invention is not limited to thisexample. For example, the user ID of a user having an electric vehicleis specified by any method, and a tax may be imposed on the user. As amethod of specifying the user ID, for example, the user ID previouslyregistered on the electric vehicle 90 may be obtained by the controller50, or the user inputs the user ID to the controller 50, whereby theuser ID may be specified.

Furthermore, for example, the controller 50 obtains the presence orabsence of tax payment for the charging of the electric vehicle 90, andif a tax is not paid, the controller 50 does not have to allow thecharging from the power server 70. At this time, when the past historyis checked to reveal that a tax has been paid for the electric vehicle90, the electric vehicle 90 may be charged by the power server 70 justone time, collateralizing the tax payment.

The present application contains subject matter related to thatdisclosed in Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2009-293022 filedin the Japan Patent Office on Dec. 24, 2009, the entire content of whichis hereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electric charging controller, comprising:circuitry configured to store, in a memory of the electric chargingcontroller, a plurality of IDs of a plurality of external devices, eachID of the plurality of IDs uniquely identifying each external device ofthe plurality of external devices; receive, from an external device ofthe plurality of external devices, an ID of the external device;determine whether the received ID of the external device is stored inthe memory; control charging of the external device from a power serverthat receives power from a non-power-grid source in a case where it isdetermined that the received ID of the external device is stored in thememory; and inquire of an external server about the received ID in acase where it is determined that the received ID of the external deviceis not stored in the memory.
 2. The electric charging controller ofclaim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: receive, fromthe external server, information of the received ID in response toinquiring of the external server about the received ID.
 3. The electriccharging controller of claim 2, wherein the circuitry is furtherconfigured to control charging of the external device from the powerserver in a case where the information of the received ID is receivedfrom the external server.
 4. The electric charging controller of claim2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to store, in the memory,the information of the received ID received from the external server. 5.The electric charging controller of claim 1, wherein the circuitry isfurther configured to control charging of the external device from thepower server in a format compatible with the external device based onthe received ID of the external device.
 6. The electric chargingcontroller of claim 1, wherein the non-power grid source is configuredto transmit electric power independently from a power grid source. 7.The electric charging controller of claim 1, wherein the externaldevices are electric vehicles.
 8. The electric charging controller ofclaim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate anamount of tax to be applied for an amount of electricity used from botha power grid and the non-power-grid source in charging of the externaldevice based on a registration location of the electric device.
 9. Theelectric charging controller of claim 8, wherein the circuitry isfurther configured to associate the calculated amount of tax to theexternal device.
 10. The electric charging controller of claim 9,wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the amount oftax by including at least one of a state tax rate and a local tax rateaccording to the registration location.
 11. The electric chargingcontroller of claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured tocalculate the amount of tax by including in the calculation at least oneof a charging time, and a battery model.
 12. The electric chargingcontroller of claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured toapply a tax credit as part of calculating said amount of tax, the taxcredit corresponding to an incentive offered by a taxing authority. 13.The electric charging controller of claim 12, wherein the incentivesinclude incentives for using power supplied from a private electricpower source, the private electric power source being an organic sourcedisconnected from an existing commercial power grid.
 14. The electriccharging controller of claim 1, wherein the external devices areelectric vehicles, and the circuitry is further configured to: receive arecorded driving history of the external device; and calculate anapportionment of the amount of tax according to different taxingjurisdictions included in the recorded driving history.
 15. The electriccharging controller of claim 14, wherein the recorded driving historyindicates one or more roads on which the electric vehicle has driven,and the circuitry is further configured to calculate the amount of taxbased on the one or more roads indicated in the recorded drivinghistory.
 16. The electric charging controller of claim 14, wherein thecircuitry is further configured to: determine, based on the recordeddriving history, a new charging area where said electric vehicle willtravel following charging; and calculate the apportionment of saidamount of tax according to different taxing jurisdictions included insaid new charging area and said recorded driving history.
 17. Theelectric charging controller of claim 8, wherein the registrationlocation identifies a location where the external device is registeredfor tax purposes.
 18. A method for controlling electric charging, themethod comprising: storing, in a memory, a plurality of IDs of aplurality of external devices, each ID of the plurality of IDs uniquelyidentifying each external device of the plurality of external devices;receiving, from an external device of the plurality of external devices,an ID of the external device; determining, using circuitry, whether thereceived ID of the external device is stored in the memory; controllingcharging of the external device from a power server that receives powerfrom a non-power-grid source in a case where it is determined that thereceived ID of the external device is stored in the memory; andinquiring of an external server about the received ID in a case where itis determined that the received ID of the external device is not storedin the memory.
 19. A non-transitory computer readable medium includingexecutable instructions, which when executed by a computer cause thecomputer to execute a method for controlling electric charging, themethod comprising: storing, in a memory, a plurality of IDs of aplurality of external devices, each ID of the plurality of IDs uniquelyidentifying each external device of the plurality of external devices;receiving, from an external device of the plurality of external devices,an ID of the external device; determining whether the received ID of theexternal device is stored in the memory; controlling charging of theexternal device from a power server that receives power from anon-power-grid source in a case where it is determined that the receivedID of the external device is stored in the memory; and inquiring of anexternal server about the received ID in a case where it is determinedthat the received ID of the external device is not stored in the memory.